By Bonnie Adams, Managing Editor
Northborough – The Northborough Historic District Commission will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, April 21 at 7 p.m. on the proposed White Cliffs Historic District. The meeting will be held in the Northborough Fire Department meeting room, 11 Pierce St.
Last year the current owners of the White Cliffs, the LaCava family, decided to close the business they had run at the 167 Main St. location for nearly 30 years and put the 6.5-acre property, which includes the 18,000-square-foot mansion, on the market for $2 million. Since that time, no serious buyers have come forth, according to Michael Durkin, a Realtor with LAER Realty Partners, who is representing the LaCavas. Because of that, in January the owners notified the town they were going to apply for a demolition permit.
By a unanimous vote during a public hearing Feb. 12, the Northborough Historical Commission passed a measure to extend the town’s demolition delay ruling for the White Cliffs property to the full 180 days.
During that hearing, the Historical Commission said they would pursue a measure to establish White Cliffs as a historic district.
The next step in the process is the April 21 public hearing. If approved, the matter will then be presented to the voters at the April 27 Annual Town Meeting, where it must pass by a two-thirds majority.
If the property is indeed declared a historic district, then the owners, current or future, cannot tear down the property. They must keep the structure’s street view as it currently is, but are not restricted from changing anything inside or at the back of the property.
